Flips and Flashlights
by KarinXToshiro
Summary: There are many alternate versions of each person, scattered across different dimensions. When Eren and Armin unwillingly switch places with their Real-World counterparts, both duos must learn to adapt in a very different environment.
1. Chapter 1 - The Pond

"We should probably be getting back soon, Eren." Armin glanced over his shoulder at the trail behind them. Outside of the flickering light their lanterns provided was pure darkness. It had been an overcast day, and the moon was hidden behind thick clouds.

"Wait." Eren stopped walking and Armin leaned to the side to peer past him.

"What's wrong?"

"Has that always been there?" Eren asked, gesturing towards a small opening in the thick bushes lining the path.

Armin looked it over quickly and nodded. "Yes, I think I remember it from another wa- Eren, what are you doing?"

Eren had dropped to his hands and knees and was staring into the hole.

"Armin, hold my lantern!" He extended his hand, completely ignoring his friend's question.

"Eren, is that really a good idea? It might be an animal's den," Armin said unsurely, but obeyed anyway without a second thought.

"I'm going to find out," Eren declared. Armin sighed as Eren's behind disappeared into the tunnel, and stooped down to watch after him.

"How are you going to see what's on the other side if I have your lantern?" Armin asked. Just then, the clouds shifted to reveal the full moon and light shone down on them. Almost as if in reply.

"Like that!" Armin could almost hear Eren's smirk.. "I see light, almost there!" So it wasn't an animal den. While he didn't like to admit it, Armin's curiosity was piqued. Of course whatever was on the other side couldn't be that interesting, but after nearly three years of the daily grind anything new was an excitement on some level.

"I'm there!" Eren called after a few moment's silence, and continued before Armin could reply. "There's not much here, apart from a pond and-_ Ah!_" Eren's sentence was cut off by a brief cry.

"Eren? Eren!" Armin shouted. There was a brief second of silence before Eren's reply.

"Shit!" Was all he said, angrily.

"What happened?"

"Tripped on a rock."

"Are you all right?"

"I think I injured my ankle, I can't get up again."

Armin exhaled deeply and shook his head. _I knew it was a bad idea,_ he thought. "Do you think you can still crawl back?"

"I'll try." The sound of shuffling, before, "Shitshitshiiit, that hurts!"

"I suppose not," Armin said.

"No, I can do it!" Eren's voice was determined, and Armin's palm found its way to his face in exasperation.

"Eren, no, stop! Are there any other ways in there?"

"There aren't, but I said I can do it. Just give me a- Argh, crap! Just give me a minute!" Pain was audible in Eren's voice and he grunted with the effort. It must have been bad.

"Just stop!" Armin repeated. His brows furrowed in concentration as he ran through any other options. _If Eren continues, he'd probably worsen the injury…_ It became clear that there was only one thing for it. Reluctantly, Armin put out both of the lamps and set them on the ground, wispy tendrils of smoke trailing from them.

"I'm coming for you, Eren!" Armin wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do once he reached the other side. Hopefully he could figure something out when he had a better view of the situation.

"I told you, I can do it!" Eren argued, but his friend was already halfway through the tunnel.

Armin was making his way through as quickly as possibly, partly because of common sense and partly because he didn't like it in there one bit. The roof of the passage was far too low and every time Armin's head bumped it, earth crumbled down as if it were about to cave in. Armin tried to shout a reassurance, but when he opened his mouth dust surged down his throat, causing harsh coughs.

Armin was still hacking as he emerged and climbed to his feet. Eren was on his front. There were multiple leaves nestled in his hair and his fingernails were dirty from trying to drag himself forward, as if he had been surviving in the wilderness for days instead of suffering a mild sprain. The clearing was small, and like Eren had said there was a small pond in the center. The water's surface was glassy smooth and pure black save from the moon's reflection, which glittered perfectly at its head. Armin froze, his eyes locked on the silver orb.

"Armin, what are you staring at?" Eren's urgent tone snapped Armin out of his daze and his eyes widened.

"Sorry!" he said quickly and rushed to his friend's aid. Zoning out at such a time… what was wrong with him? He snuck a quick glance at the pond before kneeling by Eren's side.

"Well now what, genius?"

Armin licked his lips and rubbed his chin. Now what, indeed? Perhaps he could wrap Eren's ankle in a makeshift bandage, to make things easier? Or get help after all?

He stood up and inspected the sides of the clearing. Trees surrounded them, forming some kind of wall. There was no chance of cutting an alternate path through.

"See, you should have just let me go through by myself because this _really_ isn't help-"

"But-"

"You're making way too big a fuss of this! It's fine!" The last sentence was uttered through his teeth as he attempted to push himself up. Armin waved his arms frantically and took a slow step back, unsure what to do as Eren pawed at the rough bark of a tree for support.

"Wait, you'll-_ Aah_!" Armin didn't have time to finish his sentence, as the heel of his boot caught on the very same jutting rock that had tripped Eren and he found himself falling back with a short cry. A burst of water rained down on the clearing as his back hit the surface. Eren raised his arms to shield his eyes from the splash and when he lowered them, only a few soft ripples remained as evidence of the fall. Armin was nowhere to be seen, completely swallowed by the water.  
>"Armin!" Eren watched the surface with wide eyes, waiting for Armin to resurface… He didn't. When it dawned on him, Eren began to shrug off his cloak; he had to act quickly! Could Armin even swim? Could <em>he<em> even swim, in his current state? No, there was no time for doubt. Suppressing the pain that shot through his ankle, Eren leapt forward and dove into the bottomless darkness of the pond.

* * *

><p>"Erin, I really don't like this," Arnold Albert squeaked as he tried to keep up with his friend.<p>

"I told you not to call me that stupid girl name anymore, it's _Titan_!" Erin Hunt, or as he adamantly insisted, '_Titan'_, snapped. "And stop being a baby."

Arnold just whimpered softly as they continued into the forest, snapping his head around and waving his flashlight at every noise. There were many things Arnold would have liked to be doing at that moment, such as burrowing under the thick covers of his bed with a good book or perhaps sitting at his computer to play some games. Venturing into a dark forest under the eerily full moon with nothing but a flashlight was not one of them. And yet now he didn't want to return home either, for he knew his parents would be waiting and he was undoubtedly in big trouble, sneaking out like that.

Of course, it had been against his will. But one does not simply defy Erin Hunt, childhood friend or not, and when Erin first appeared at his doorstep Arnold knew that there was no use in arguing. He almost always lost against _less_ stubborn people, after all.

"There it is," Erin announced after a few more minutes of walking and, in Arnold's case, terror. He stopped in front of the entrance to a small clearing, framed with thick brambles.

"Why are we here, again?" Arnold asked timidly as he stared through the natural arch. The only thing of interest was a small pond in the center and while it was a pretty sight, Erin was not one to drag him all the way there for a simple view.

"I explained this earlier. It's _'The Pond of the Dead_', or so I've heard."

"Th-the dead?" Arnold stammered. Erin nodded with a mischievous grin and pushed the small boy aside to step into the clearing. He managed to do so without catching on the sharp thorns, but Arnold was less fortunate as he followed and they tore through his sleeves, scratching his arms and drawing a thin trickle of blood.

Erin didn't respond to his friend's distressed noises and instead began to elaborate on the pond.

"_Legend has it, that if you stand at the foot of the pond…_" He grabbed Arnold's arm and began guiding him to that exact spot. "_...and gaze into it…_" Erin's wolfish grin didn't budge he spoke in a purposefully creepy voice. Arnold stared down into the water with wide eyes. "_...as the full moon's reflection glimmers proudly at the head…_" Above, the clouds cleared and a perfect mirror of the moon appeared in the water. Erin flicked off his flashlight and snatched away Arnold's to do the same so that they had only the dim moonlight. It was almost as if Arnold was in a trance, but Erin knew from his visibly trembling hands that his words were reaching him. _"...then you might just see a face staring back at you. And not your own…_" a breeze rustled the leaves all around them and sent chills down Arnold's spine. "_...the pale, bloodied face...of a** ghost**_…"

At that moment, the wind settled and all was calm. Complete silence. Arnold looked as if he had already seen a ghost, still not tearing his eyes from the water in which he was sure an angry spirit would appear any moment to claim him. A leaf fluttered down and gently landed on the surface, floating. And then…

"_**Andthenitgetsyou!**_" Erin roared and clamped his hands down on Arnold's shoulders, provoking a shrill scream. Erin fell about laughing as his friend flailed in shock and turned around, tears bubbling in the corner of his eyes.

"Your face!" Erin howled between laughs. Blood rushed to Arnold's face and his lip quivered as he realised what had just happened. "Oh god, I've _got_ to tell the others about this! I wish I had a camera!" Erin went on.

As Arnold watched, anger and betrayal boiled in his chest.

"I've had enough!" he shouted finally and picked his flashlight up from where Erin had discarded them both, wiping away the tears with his ruined sleeves.

"Where are you going?" Erin was still chuckling lightly as Arnold started forward. Teardrops clung to the lenses of his glasses, but he didn't pause to clean them.

"Home!" The usually shy boy's voice was as firm as he could manage and carried more courage than he felt. But scared as he was, it was time to stand up. It had gone too far. "I'm sick of this,_ Erin_!"

Erin's laughter died and he shot his hand forward and snatched the neck of Arnold's shirt. Arnold was pulled back, clutching at his throat where the collar was digging in. Erin let go and he was sent reeling back, coughing.

"I told you not to call me that, didn't I?" Erin asked in an unnaturally dull tone . When Arnold looked up, he saw that his eyes were dark as he pressed forward, looming over him. Every last trace of resolve and dignity Arnold had mustered dribbled out of his pant leg as he took a step back. Only, he'd forgotten about the pond and when his foot fell, it met only air before water.

He reached out instinctively and clutched at Erin's front in one last futile attempt to regain his balance. Time seemed to freeze for a single second, Arnold with a fistfull of Erin's T-Shirt and a leaping heart as he realised. And then both of them plunged into the water.

* * *

><p>Water rushed into Armin's mouth and drowned out his scream as the water engulfed him. Icy cold impossible for a summer's evening seized him. He wanted to raise his arms to bat away the cloak that was entangling him and to propel himself up, but they felt like lead, lumps of useless flesh deadened by the chill. Immobilized, all he could do was stare at the light above, growing ever further as he sunk into oblivion.<p>

Was it really going to end this way? He had survived invading titans after the breach of wall Maria; intended to join the Survey Corps one day… And yet here he was, drowning in a simple pond that couldn't possibly be that deep. It was unfair. Pathetic… Even so, he felt oddly at peace.

Until he heard Eren's voice, echoing and far away.

_No, Eren… don't, it's no use…_

A distant splash.

_Please, don't…_

Always a burden to the people he cared about most.

_Please…_

Now he was going to die as one, too.

And then he broke through the surface and flopped onto the grass, gasping for breath like a beached fish. It burned as he inhaled, yet he had never welcomed air more in his life. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the sky. So beautiful. It was the only movement he could manage, exhausted and weighed down by soaked clothes. Too relieved to question what had just happened.

Eren burst out of the water and landed beside him, coughing up water. Armin smiled softly. He was safe. _Thank goodness_. And then unconsciousness reclaimed its hold on his mind and everything went black.

"Armin!"

_Huh?_

"Armin!"

_Is it time to get up already?_

He didn't remember going to bed last night. Still, he didn't want to be late. He'd probably die if Shardis made him do too many laps. But his mind felt so foggy…

"_Armin_!"

It all came rushing back to him then, and Armin sat up abruptly with a sharp inhale. The sudden movement brought dizziness swimming and he raised his hand to his forehead, grimacing.

"I thought you were dead!" Eren exclaimed.

"So did I," Armin mumbled, and when his vision refocused he was met with Eren's wide grin.

Armin raised his hand to brush aside his fringe, which was plastered to his forehead, but froze upon realising his surroundings.

It couldn't be… no, it definitely was. His memory wasn't mistaken. While similar, they were now in a completely different clearing. Armin's arm fell limp and he looked to his friend with desperate confusion. Now that the relief of Armin's awakening had passed, it became clear in Eren's expression that he too had noticed.

And come to think of it… how on Earth were they on land again in the first place? Last time Armin checked, the depths of something didn't lead back to the surface. Especially not a different place altogether. At that moment, the workings of his incredibly complex mind could be accurately summed up into one simple question:

_What?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Hello, everyone! The name's KxT, but you can call me Shiny. _Please_ call me Shiny.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that! It got off to a bit more of a slow start than I was aiming for, seems I got a bit carried away with that chapter :) the next will hopefully turn out to be more light-hearted and humorous, the overall tone this story is supposed to have.

Speaking of what's to come:

**QNAABWIGAAB**

_(Questions nobody's actually asked but which I'm going to answer anyway because)_

_Q1: Will there be Eremin in this fanfiction?_

A1: Okay, I know this chapter just screams Eremin but there will be none of that in this fanfiction (sorry to those that disappoints!). As for romance in general, I really don't know. Probably not, but that depends on where it goes. I like to have a basic idea of where I'm going, but for the most part I just go wherever the story takes me. Go with the flow, dude. I never follow guidelines anyway.  
>(Maybe once I get a bit further into this fanfiction, I'll start a poll on whether or not people want certain pairs to happen.)<p>

_Q2: How often will updates come out?_

A2: Whenever they're ready. I try not to keep people waiting and I'm going to write some more chapters in advance before I even publish this so that I have plenty of time to get the rest out. Sometimes I can write, sometimes I can't but this fanfiction is pretty safe because I am enjoying it immensely.

_Q3: Why is it rated T?_

A3: Mostly swearing, and so that I have more freedom to write without worrying about what I put in here.

_Q4: Why do Arnold and Erin act so differently to the real ones?_

A4: Because, while they're only different versions of the same thing, Arnold and Erin still aren't exactly the same as Armin and Eren. That's why Erin's such a douche.

_Q5: Wait, did Arnold just piss himself?_

A5: Yes. Yes he did.

_Q6: The information said there would be OCs?_

A6: Yes, there will be OCs other than Arnold and Erin (though they're only partly OCs). Some of which will play an important role. However, I know that a lot of people only care about the canon characters and so I will try and keep the focus mostly on them.

Well, if you've read this far then I just want to thank you.

And one last note; while I certainly enjoy praise, I'm also _very_ open to constructive criticism. If you think I've done anything wrong at all, such as spelling mistakes or plot holes or a character acting OOC or _anything,_ please let me know so that I can fix it/know what to avoid in the future!

_Loveyouall._

**Fun Fact Time**: At the end of each chapter, there's going to be a fun fact (unless of course I've run out of fun facts in which case, you get nothing)! That was possibly the least fun fact ever, but stay tuned for next time when things get really crazy!


	2. Chapter 2 - Glittering Lights

"Mikasa, we're supposed to be getting back to the sleeping quarters now," Sasha urged quietly as the others spilled out of the mess hall and they were left alone.

"Eren isn't back yet," Mikasa said simply. She was staring at her hands, which were balled into fists on her lap.

"Where'd he go, anyway?"

"He went for a walk, with Armin."

"Meh, I'm sure they're fine," Sasha brushed off and grabbed Mikasa's arm, pulling her to her feet. Mikasa shot her a disapproving look and she smiled. "Why don't you start worrying about that if they're not back by morning?"

Mikasa shrugged out of Sasha's grip and started walking to the entrance with creased brows.

She was worrying about it_ now_.

And she had good reason to.

* * *

><p>Armin's limbs still felt heavy, but he managed to climb to his feet and stand relatively steady once the brief onset of dizziness passed.<p>

Eren did the same with much more ease. He'd obviously fared better in the water than Armin, whose shoulders sagged slightly at that observation. _What a surprise_. But small matters like that were the last thing he felt like dwelling on at that point considering, you know, freaking _everything._

"Is it just me or-?"

"It's not just you." Armin finished for him, and faced him with wide eyes. "This isn't the same place as before."

Eren was about to reply when something caught his eye and, sadly oblivious to the masterful rhyme in that sentence, he stooped to pick up a strange object.

"What is that?" Armin peered over his shoulder.

"I was hoping you'd know," Eren replied as he examined it closely. He'd never seen such a thing before. "Hey, I think there's a button on it."

"Now Eren, it's a bad idea to press buttons unless you know-" Armin's warning was entirely too late as Eren flicked the button without hesitation and a thick beam of light hit his face like a bullet and he lost his grip on the object. After a second of desperate fumbling, it slipped from his hands and onto the ground.

"What the hell?!" Eren rubbed his eyes frantically and kicked the flashlight away. "My eyes! I can still see the light! It burns!"

"Eren, are you okay?" Armin reached for Eren's arms but he immediately whipped them away to point at the object, which was nestled in the overgrown grass and still shining brightly.

"That… that _thing_… it's way brighter than any lantern I've ever seen," Eren said and Armin nodded.

"Yes, it is quite amazi- Eren, what are you doing?"

Eren was leaning forward to pick it up, but Armin swatted his hand away swiftly. Eren withdrew, clutching his hand to his chest.

"_Ow_! What was that for?"

"Sorry," Armin said quickly before shaking his head and shifting back to his firm expression. "I mean, that thing could be dangerous!"

Eren froze, and stared at it questioningly.

"In situations like these, it's best to exercise caution around the unknown." Inhaling deeply, Armin took a slow step forward, inching closer to it.

"I think it's okay, though," Eren said. "I mean, my face hasn't melted off or anything."

"True," Armin admitted and paused. "But still…"

"Oh, look." Eren sighed before leaping forward and snatching the torch into his hands before Armin had a chance to protest. "See? It's perfectly fine when you don't shine it in your face like I did."

Now that he was adequately reassured that the flashlight wasn't going to suddenly cause the world to implode, Armin inspected it with interest.

"I've really never seen anything like it," he muttered. His mouth was still twisted into a frown, but his eyes were practically sparkling with excitement, the same kind of innocent wonder as when he read about the vast world beyond the walls as a child.

"Wait, wait! Watch this!" Eren grinned and flicked the button, causing the light to die out, immediately leaving them blind for a heartbeat until he turned it on again. He began to repeat that process with increasing speed and they both watched in a manner similar to that of cavemen discovering fire, though with significantly less hopping around and chest-beating.

"I think I'm getting a headache," Armin mumbled after almost a minute of flashing and Eren pressed the button one last time before nodding in agreement.

"This is pretty incredible, though," he mused. "We have to show this to the others."

"Wait," Armin said. "How? Where are we?"

They had almost forgotten about their situation amidst all the excitement, but now that it was coming back to them their childish smiles fell quickly.

Shining the flashlight forward, Eren strode towards the arch of brambles and leaned out, peering right and left.

"Wait, Eren, what about your ankle?" Armin asked.

"It feels better for some reason. But never mind that, we have bigger problems. It's somewhere completely different." He stepped aside so Armin could see.

Paling, the boy did the same as Eren.

"What does it mean?" His voice broke into a pitiful squeak halfway through the sentence.

Eren just continued staring down the unfamiliar forest path with a troubled expression.

Armin took a deep, calming breath and closed his eyes to think. There was no point even questioning how they had gotten there; the important question was whether or not they would be able to get back. Would they be able to find their way back to the military camp after enough wandering? A horrible thought crossed Armin's mind and he tried to push it back, but it refused to dissolve simply because he knew that it was a prominent possibility: What if they were in titan territory? With no 3D maneuver gear, no weapons or even any idea of their exact location. _Please don't be so._

Of course, there was still the question of that strange foreign object and how it came to be. If they were in titan territory, could it be some kind of rare historical artifact left over from ancient civilizations?

"We'd better look around." Eren's voice snapped Armin from his thoughts and he nodded mutely as they stepped out of the arch and onto the road. "Which way?" Eren asked, directing the light each way in turn.

"I don't know, they both look the same…" There was no way of telling where either path lead. They must have been close to the heart of the forest, completely secluded. Even if the sun was up, Armin had a feeling that the trees would spread as far as the eye could see.

"Well…" Eren paused a moment before he shrugged and started walking to the right. "Let's just go this way."

Armin had no objections to that, and jogged to catch up. It was eerily silent except from the soft sound of leaves crunching underfoot and a slight uneasiness came over Armin as he trotted behind his friend and looked around. Free from distractions, his mind took the opportunity to run through all the awful possibilities and the true desperation of their position dawned on him. Nothing that had happened that evening made sense, and now they were alone in some random forest possibly in the middle of nowhere.

As time dragged on, Eren began to make attempts at conversation and discuss things but each exchange was brief and awkward.

Thanks to the short range of the flashlight, it wasn't until they stood right at the exit that they noticed the seemingly endless trees were thinning out until ahead, there were none. Instead, a sight that caused their jaws to drop awaited them.

They stood atop a hill, and past the grand slope were thousands of tiny lights that spanned far across and shimmered like glitter. It took Armin a few awestricken moments to realise that it was some kind of city, though certainly not the kind he was accustomed to, bustling with life even though it was far into the night.

Any words that came to mind caught on Eren's tongue until finally he managed to say, in a rather blunt manner slightly unfitting for such a wondrous moment,

"What the _actual_ hell?"

* * *

><p>Arnold offered little resistance as the depths of the pond claimed him. The whole ordeal was an unorganized blur to him, dreamlike and brief. This rather convenient gap in his memory has absolutely nothing at all to do with the fact that an almost identical situation was described already and repetition of the process seemed redundant. Absolutely not.<p>

When he and Erin broke through the surface simultaneously and fell onto the grass in a soaking tangle, Arnold also offered little resistance as his 'friend' pushed him away carelessly and he flopped onto his back, unable to do anything other than regurgitate all the water that had gone down his throat and stare in utter bewilderment as he wondered what the hell had just happened. If his glasses, which had somehow managed to stay put through it all, had been wet before then they certainly were now. Once Arnold regained some of his awareness, he plucked them off and blinked.

A large blur that was Erin seemed to be climbing to his feet, muttering to himself unintelligibly. Mind still dull and extremely confused, Arnold attempted to wipe the lenses with his sleeve, but that only served to worsen them and he quickly gave up to stuff the glasses in his pocket. As he was pushing himself to his knees, a hand closed around his collar once more and he was yanked to his feet to see Erin's face, which was warped into a mixture of anger and panic.

"What did you do?" he demanded through his teeth.

Arnold's reply started off as a garbled stream of petrified stutter before he managed to get out, "I-I didn't do anything!"

Erin paused, still holding him up so that his toes barely touched the ground as he scanned the frightened boy's face for lies. Eventually, he let go and Arnold staggered back.

"What is this?" Erin muttered quietly. For a moment, Arnold was confused as to what he was referring to, still recovering, but then he too realised. At first, he thought that the darkness must be deceiving him, but as his eyes adjusted it became clear that they were in another place altogether.

The past hour came rushing back to him all at once then, and it was all too much. His eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped to the ground in a soggy mess, leaving Erin to hope guiltily that it hadn't been his doing.

* * *

><p>"This is like a dream," Armin whispered. Surprise robbed him of his coordination as he stumbled down the slope like a toddler that had just spotted a month-old piece of candy stuck to the floor under the sofa on the other side of the room, reaching out his arms to behold the view. "Maybe it is a dream."<p>

"That would explain a lot," Eren replied after skidding down to walk alongside him.

Armin knelt down and ran his hands through the soft grass, still with that marvelling expression on his face.

"Armin, what are you doing?"

"It feels so _real_…"

"Um..."

Armin leapt up all of a sudden, and a wide smile spread across his face.

"Eren, don't you understand? If this isn't a dream… that city, it's… It could mean that there are more people out there! This doesn't look like anything within the walls!"

"That's crazy…"

"No, it's not!" Armin was growing more excited with each second to the point he was almost hopping up and down. "We never knew anything outside, and the world is huge! I don't know how we got here, but…"

"That's… right, I guess." Eren looked conflicted for a moment before he shared Armin's smile, though with slightly less confidence. "Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's look."

Armin nodded quickly, and broke into an inelegant but enthusiastic sprint. And then, something highly improbable happened. Something that could only prove that Armin had done something unforgivably horrible to a rock in a past life and as a result anything made of stone was going to hold a grudge against the poor soul for the rest of eternity.

He tripped.

On a rock.

Which just so happened to be jutting out of that otherwise completely lush hill.

Armin was flipped forward into a terrifying but somehow rather spectacular flip this time. Picture it in slow motion, his blond hair fluttering majestically and his mouth slowly opening into a silent scream as he revolves in a perfect circular motion. And then he hits the ground with an,

_"Oof_!"

And starts to roll down the hill in a rather painful and significantly less beautiful manner. Not that he was conscious for most of it. He didn't even have a chance to think, _I can't believe that's the second time in one day that a fucking rock has knocked me out_ (though his version would probably be slightly different) before everything went black. Again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

See, _this_. This is why I don't write when I'm tired. Because apparently at night I transform into Lemony Snicket on crack.

I'm so sorry for that,_ this was supposed to be where things got more normal._ Instead I dedicated half a chapter to them playing with a flashlight, not to mention Armin's majestic_ flip_.  
>In other news, I'm seriously considering changing the title to '<em>Neurotic Armin Babysits Eren, Who's Kind of Turning Out to be a Bit of a Dumbshit'<em>.

Anyway, regardless of how ridiculous that was, I hope you all found some enjoyment in it_ (Iloveyoubytheway)._  
>Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and<em> not<em> write the next chapter because _screw that_, I think I've learned my lesson on typing tired.

Good night.

**P.S:**

_Sorry for using a naughty word :( It just… it just wouldn't be the same without it._

**Fun Fact Time:** I rewrote the first chapter about three times because I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted Mikasa to accompany them into our world. In the end, I decided it would be more interesting if she stayed behind and could lead to some interesting subplots


	3. Chapter 3 - Children are Evil

When Arnold came to, the first thing he noticed was that he was alone and panic surged through him. He leapt to his feet and whipped his head around with a small whimper. It was still dark, and even the moonlight could not help him without his glasses. On the bright side, his shirt was now only damp and when he attempted to clean the lenses for a second time, it worked.

However, sliding them on again did little to help. All that did was heighten the detail of the shadows and make them seem even more foreboding. His breaths were rugged as he knelt down, feeling in the grass for his flashlight. But when his fingers finally found it, pressing the button did nothing. Completely dead. Arnold tried not to think that he could have easily ended up the same way as he gently set the useless device back down and rubbed his hands together nervously.

There was a snapping sound and he froze, listening intently. _Crunch, crunch, crunch_. Footsteps, on the other side of the tunnel.

Arnold reached for the flashlight again, and held it firmly in his trembling hands. At the very least, it could serve as some kind of weapon if necessary. At least, he hoped. Arnold had never exactly tried to whack somebody over the head with a flashlight before.

Who could it be? Of course, Arnold began jumping to the worst kinds of conclusions. A bloodthirsty serial killer… a demon… what if it was a _vampire_? Arnold didn't_ want_ to be a vampire. That way, he'd have to sleep through the day and night time was _scary_. Oh God, what if it had already gotten Erin? It was all over. He'd have to spend the rest of his living days as a vampire and he'd have to drink blood and then Erin would make him have competitions to see who could drink from more humans in one night and if Arnold said he didn't want to then he'd turn into a bat and get caught in his hair just like that one time when Arnold was five and he'd had a bat phobia ever since-

_It's coming in the tunnel!_ Hyperventilating now, Arnold backed away slowly until he was pressed against the rough bark of a tree. No escape.

_"Please don't bite me…_" he sobbed quietly. "_I don't wanna be a vampire…_"

A dark figure emerged from the tunnel and leapt to its feet.

"Oh hey, you're-"

"_Eek_!" Arnold screeched and flung the flashlight forwards without hesitation. It sailed through the air and struck the creature's head with an impressively loud S_mack_!

"Argh!" the creature shouted in pain, raising its hands to massage the area of impact. Only at that moment, Arnold realised that the creature had a familiar voice and in fact, wasn't a creature at all but _Erin_. "Arnold, what the _actual_ f-"

"I'm sorry!" Arnold squeaked and began to rush forward, but stopped in his tracks, entirely unsure of what to do. "I thought you were a vampire!" On second thought, though, those pained groans Erin was making did sound oddly beast-like. What if Erin _was_ a vampire, just like he'd feared?

_"I'm_ not_ a fucking vampire!"_ Erin's outburst made Arnold jump out of his thoughts and he nodded rapidly, wincing at Erin's use of the F-Word. Huffing angrily, Erin snatched the flashlight from the ground and hurled it into the pond.

"B-but that was a gift from my-"

"It was broken anyway," Erin growled and Arnold shrank back with another quick nod, though he couldn't stop himself from staring forlornly at the rings of disturbance where the flashlight had sunk to its doom.

"We have bigger things to worry about, Arnold. Trust me on that," Erin said.

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe like the fact that we're in the _middle of nowhere_ and nothing is making any kind of sense whatsoever!"

"Oh." Arnold frowned and looked around again. He'd been so distracted with the vampires that he'd almost forgotten.

"I went looking out there, and all I found was a random trail that leads who-knows-where. Plus, near the tunnel exit I found these lantern things. Who even _uses_ those anymore?"

"Yes, what if that pond was a portal to a land stripped of all logic and sense?" Arnold gasped dramatically and clamped his hand over his mouth.

Erin gave him a look and Arnold lowered his hand sheepishly, blushing.

"Anyway..." Erin paused. "Do you think we should follow that trail?"

"But we don't know where it leads," Arnold mumbled. "It could go anywhere."

"It's better than staying here, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"But what?"

"It's… it's dark out there."

"Really?" Erin demanded. "_Really?_"

Arnold stared at the ground and didn't reply.

Erin sighed audibly. "Well what do you want me to do? Hold your hand? Honestly, Arnold, you're 14 years old!"

"Actually, I'm 15. You… you were at the party."

"_What_ party? That wasn't a party, that was us two playing Mario Kart while your mother baked us cupcakes! You can't_ have_ a party, because to have a party you need _friends_, and you don't _have_ any friends, because you're too much of a wimp to go outside and make some!" Erin's voice had escalated into a yell by the last sentence and once his tirade was finished he waited, huffing with clenched fists.

Arnold just stood there, in shock. He had suffered constant abuse all throughout their friendship, but in the past it was just Erin's idea of harmless teasing gone too far. This was different.

Arnold wanted to retaliate, to throw Erin back some equally hurtful and... true insults. But all of his fighting spirit had faded a long time ago and instead, after over a minute of silent quivering, he burst into tears.

Erin felt only a flicker of guilt before shaking his head and pushing it back. No, Arnold needed to hear this. He was sure of that, and he was never in the wrong.

"Fine, stand there and cry like always! I'm going by myself," Erin snapped and spun around. He couldn't achieve quite the impactful exit he was after when the last thing Arnold saw was his backside bobbing up and down as he slowly crawled through the tunnel, but he was too angry to care about that and the other too hurt.

Arnold reached forward briefly as his only company disappeared from sight. He didn't want to be alone, not here. Not now.

"Erin," he murmured desperately. "Come back…" Nothing happened, and he was left all alone in complete silence. His knees wobbled as darkness seemed to close in on him, and he slumped to the ground and buried his face in his arms. All he could do was curl into a ball and weep softly to himself. But then, he noticed something and raised his head. It couldn't be… But it was, he was certain. Where the brambles had scratched his arms previously, his arms were now completely smooth.

* * *

><p>Something tickled Armin's cheek and his nose wrinkled in response. His hair must have fallen into his face again. <em>Maybe I should get it cut soon,<em> he thought sleepily to himself.

Around the world, an unexplainable sense of dread sweeps across the population of Armin fangirls along with visions of his flawless golden locks flowing in the breeze.

He smiled when he remembered that bizarre dream, and raised his hand to brush away the itchy strands of hair. Only, that didn't feel like hair at all. Since when was his hair cold and covered in small drops of dew? Since when was his hair grass?

With a gasp, Armin's eyes snapped open and he shot up, taking in his surroundings slowly. It wasn't a dream. He was still lying there, at the foot of that hill. Eren was nowhere to be seen, and the sun was rising. It was a magnificent sight, the sky a glorious blend of crimson and gold. But Armin didn't have time to admire the view, because even with dawn approaching the lights glittered in the distance, and Armin had an inkling that it was among them that he would find his friend.

As for why Eren had left Armin's side in the first place… Armin sighed to himself. Didn't he know that you're not supposed to leave the scene of an accident? Unless, of course, it was one of those, _"Leave me and save yourself!"_ situations, but Armin was certain he hadn't said anything along those lines and even more so that Eren wouldn't have obliged anyway.

Armin shook his head as he stood up and brushed grass from his back. His clothes were covered in green stains, but at least the sun had drawn the damp from them. Really, he was lucky to not have caught pneumonia. Unless he had and just wasn't aware of it, which really wouldn't surprise him considering his luck as of late.

As he hiked down the remainder of the slope, he was careful to keep his eyes on the ground in case of more rocks. He had been tripped over twice already in the past couple of days and he certainly wasn't about to let it happen for a third time. Hopefully. Again, it wouldn't particularly surprise him.

His stomach growled, but he ignored it. After the severe food shortages following the fall of Maria, Armin had been forced to bear the hunger for much longer. This was nothing.

A few minute's later, Armin came across some kind of large road, meandering through the countryside bordering town. What a strange road it was, though. It was made of some kind of rough, grey material and when Armin knelt down to feel it, it left pale scratches across his palm. Not to mention all of the weird symbols that had been painted in white and yellow. They seemed to continue all the way along.

_It must have taken a long time to paint them with such precision_, he noted admiringly.

Armin began to follow the road towards the city, feeling slightly nervous when he remembered the sheer number of people visible from atop the hill. How was he supposed to find Eren? They should have agreed on some kind of meeting place. Or even better, not have split up in the first place but it was too late for that. Like that saying his grandfather told him years ago,_ "There's no use crying over spilt milk."_ Unless of course, that spilt milk just so happens to be said grandfather, in which case Armin believed his crying was completely justified. In fact, he wasn't sure he agreed with that phrase in the first place but that was beside the point.

Armin supposed it would make most sense to return to the pond if he found no luck. He only hoped Eren had enough sense to do the same.

Houses lined the road as Armin approached the city. It seemed to be completely quiet, though; devoid of people in the early hours of morning. The majority of them must have been in the center, where the lights were. The lights… What were they? Similar to that strange object before, perhaps? So it had been the work of these people…

And then, there was a harsh rumbling sound and the crackling of tires on gravel. Armin froze. The growling grew louder, until a strange metal beast came barrelling around the corner ahead, with two flaring lights that momentarily blinded him.

Armin had no time to shield his eyes, however, because it was coming right at him! With not a second to lose, he dove to the side and the car roared past with a loud beep, only narrowly missing him. Panting, Armin watched it disappear into the distance. It had been so fast, he'd hardly had a chance to get a good look at it. If he hadn't acted when he did…

There was a sharp sting in his arm as he climbed to his feet, and upon examination Armin realised that his elbow was badly scraped and bleeding, numerous pebbles buried in the wound.

_What was that, though?_ Regardless, he needed to get off the road before another one mowed him down. Thinking of it, Armin realised that it must have been some kind of horseless cart, because it certainly wasn't animate. But if someone was operating it… could they have almost killed him purposefully? They hadn't come back to finish the job, but…

Armin found himself wishing he had brought a weapon. Previously, he hadn't even stopped to think that the people of this place could be hostile, but…

What if they had gotten Eren?

Armin kept well off of the road as he ventured deeper into civilization and instead followed it from the sides. Everything was different here, almost like an alien planet. The excitement had passed and he was wary of it now. What was to come?

It wasn't until a few minutes later that he saw someone. A small girl, kicking a ball down the pavement seemingly with no particular purpose. Excitedly, Armin started towards her. Upon closer inspection, she had a finger wedged up her nostril and was digging so deep that she was almost up to her knuckles. Not exactly what Armin was expecting.

The child didn't regard him until he was right in front of her, at which point he bent over with a friendly smile.

"Hello," he greeted gently while wondering what to ask first.

"Mommy said not to talk to strangers," the girl spat and swerved past him with a quick flick of her hair.

Armin turned to watch after her. "Don't worry, I'm not-"

"Hmph!" With a cruel glint in her large eyes, the girl whipped her finger from her nose and flicked an impressively large booger with expert precision so that it lodged itself in Armin's fringe. As the boy desperately tried to rub off the goop, she picked up her ball and hurled it at him. A deadly weapon in the right hands.

It smacked against Armin's fingers, but he managed to catch it in his arms before it fell to the ground, biting back the throbbing pain from where the ball had struck.

"Please, I just-" he started desperately, but was interrupted yet again by the sound of a door opening and a woman's voice.

"Sweetie, it's time to get ready for school." A sweet looking woman standing in the doorway of a house nearby, with a soft smile gracing her lips and a fluffy pink cardigan wrapped around her shoulders. Relieved, Armin opened his mouth to speak. Surely this motherly lady would hear him out!

"Mommy, this boy stole my ball," the little girl whined.

When Armin looked to her in surprise, her face had warped into a tearful grimace. Forget the ones operating the horseless carriages, even the children in this place were evil geniuses!

"Huh?" he began to object, "No, I-"

"_Why_!" the mother huffed, and began to storm towards him with angry purpose in her strides. It was only as she towered over him that Armin realised just how tall this seemingly sweet woman was.

"I swear, I-"

"You give that back to my girl right this second!" Hardly giving him a chance to react, the woman snatched the ball from his sore hands and swiftly brought it down on his head.

Armin could only watch in bewilderment as the pair returned to their house, the door slamming behind them, and he was left standing there with nothing but an aching head and a lump of snot in his fringe.

Armin didn't even bother trying to pick his hair clean as he resumed his walk, only this time in a slump. It was like his childhood all over again, only this time it was little girls bullying him. If Shardis knew... If _Eren _knew, even..._  
><em>

A few more minutes of mindless trudging later, a loud voice broke him out of his depressive stupor and he slowly raised his head to see a young man, leaning against a wall across the street and watching him. Armin didn't rush over to the stranger this time and instead waited for him to make the first move.

"You're out early, sweetcake," the young man called, a beefy ginger with dim eyes.

Armin raised a confused eyebrow. _Sweetcake?_

"That shirt seems a bit loose on you, sugar. I hope I haven't caught a lovely little lady in the middle of the walk of shame?"

Too busy trying to figure out the rest of the sentence, Armin didn't even realise the unfortunate mistake regarding his gender.

"Um, sorry but I'm not entirely sure of your meaning?" That was an understatement, but it's important to choose your words carefully around shady folk. Stay tuned in next time for more of Arlert's Life Lessons, where your favourite host will be discussing how to deal with crushing self-esteem issues in the face of blatantly superior friends. _Remember kids, don't do drugs!_

The man chuckled to himself and Armin stared.

"Why don't you spend some time with me, babe?"

Fidgeting uncomfortably, Armin hesitated in silence. Certainly friendlier than the last, but…

"I don't bite."

Another pause, before Armin made his choice and started towards him. Maybe he was just being nice, and would help him make sense of his situation. For all he knew, after all, those names could be standard etiquette around here. He didn't place much confidence at all in that assumption but at this point the situation was getting desperate.

"How 'bouts I get you a drink, sugar?" the ginger drawled.

"I am quite thirsty," Armin admitted shyly. "But there are some questions I'd like to ask first..."

"Y'know, you talk kinda funny…"

_So I was right!_ "Oh, sorry um… cupcake?"

The ginger's smile dropped immediately and Armin's followed.

"You makin' fun of me?"

"What? No! No, I…" Armin trailed off lamely, wondering what he'd done wrong _this_ time. It was impossible to know in this crazy place.

"Listen here," the ginger said and Armin nodded quickly. "Little girls like you gotta show some more respect."

"Wait,_ girl_? I'm not a-"

"You disrespectin' me again?"

"Please, let me sp-"

"Maybe I should teach you some respect, then."

The man's tone told conveyed all Armin needed to know, and after one more heartbeat of lingering confusion he turned and bolted across the road. He didn't look back to see if he was being pursued as he ran. There was no way he could deal with such a large opponent, lacking any form of weapon. Something was telling him that his original assumption of that being standard etiquette was incorrect, and if it wasn't… Maybe he should have been running _away_ from the city instead. But he still needed to find Eren. Every second chipped away at his doubt; Eren had to have been captured. But by whom? And where were they keeping him? Could Armin really do anything about it, in his current state?

This dream was beginning to turn into a horrible nightmare. Only by now, Armin knew that it was all too real.

...After all, in his dreams and memories it was always _slightly_ older children that beat him up.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Well, this is turning out to be a bit more slow paced than intended but the real plot gets going in the next chapter, promise! ... At least, hopefully. I've looked over it and tweaked it countless times, but I'm still not as fond of this chapter as the last two, so if you're still sticking with me, then I just want to let you all know that I extra love you and I truly hope that you found this chapter entertaining in some way.

Not much else to say here, other than that if you've reviewed or favourited or followed or even just looked at this, then I can't thank you enough! I'm not going to list names, but you know who you are!

Also, I'm so sorry for putting you through that, Armin. And Arnold. These guys really deserve a break next chapter. Probably won't get one though because the alternative is so much more fun to write, ehehe.

I hope I'm not portraying Armin as too wimpy, like his counterpart. This does take place before their graduation and his development though, so maybe it's okay? I mean, back then Armin was a lot weaker and less confident (if you look closely in episode 3, he's even crying as they bring Eren back after he hit his head in training.) But I don't know, so please tell me if you think he's OOC. Oops, I hope it doesn't seem like I'm begging. I'll stop saying that now, sorry. Anyway...

**Fun Fact Time:** Erin Hunt's name was originally Erin Hunter, but then I found out that there was an author (or group of authors, as I've just read) with that exact name! Someone was even joking that Eren must have written it in disguise, so I decided to change it.


	4. Chapter 4 - What's an England?

Erin stooped to retrieve one of the old lanterns nestled in the grass. Still warm. With his free hand, he dug his cigarette lighter from his pocket, scowling at its floral design. Erin had attempted to buy his own before, a black one with_ flames_ on it. It was the most hardcore lighter he had ever seen and it was love at first sight. Sadly, the shopkeeper wasn't convinced that Erin was over eighteen and so he had to resort to _borrowing one_ that belonged to his grandmother, if you know what I mean. But she wouldn't mind, he was sure.

The water must have gotten to it because the flowery thing failed to produce the smallest of sparks. Erin sighed loudly and put both items back, which roughly translates to 'hurled to the ground in a fit of rage and then kicked away for good measure,' of course. Still huffing, Erin turned and marched into the blackness. He didn't need light, anyway. Light was for babies like Arnold, who he _definitely_ wasn't feeling at all guilty about leaving behind. Nope. Not one bit.  
>Erin caught himself peeking over his shoulder and shook his head. <em>Forget about him, forget about him…<em>

But would Arnold be okay back there? Erin came to a halt and stared at the ground with clenched fists. The whole situation was like something out of a movie, maybe even of the horror genre. Alone in a dark, unfamiliar forest… and they had already made the rookie mistake of splitting up.  
>"Dammit!" Erin spun around. <em>What am I doing?<em> he thought as he took a step towards the pond. _He'd better still be there..._

And then a hand seized his shoulder from behind.

* * *

><p>Armin avoided confrontations as he made his way through the suburbs, but he could feel the curious eyes of those he passed boring into his back. He must have looked suspicious, but the silent attention unnerved him and he found himself pulling his cloak tighter around himself as he walked. To fit in, abandoning the shabby garment altogether was probably the best move but Armin felt exposed enough already. Having a hood over his head afforded him some degree of comfort in this strange place.<p>

And what a strange place it was. Everything was so different that Armin didn't even know where to start. It was overwhelming, but a glimmer of excitement still existed that urged him to investigate everything thoroughly, to uncover the secrets of this world. However, if he was to have any hope of finding Eren, Armin knew he would have to resist. For now.

His mind must have retained some of the water's murkiness when he awoke for him to have been so calm about his friend's desertion. There's also the fact that he left without even waiting to confirm that Eren was definitely gone... Armin would have to kick himself if he returned after hours of searching to find that Eren had just wandered off to take a leak. Something told him that wasn't the case, though. What exactly, he couldn't say, but the feeling was there nonetheless.  
>In short, Armin was worried 'n shit because come on, that exposition was just getting out of hand.<p>

A short while later, Armin found himself in a different kind of street lined with what appeared to be shops, all with flashy signs and bright lights. The area was bustling with people, some of which glanced at him, but most paid him no heed as they rushed through their daily grind.  
>Armin wanted so badly to question one of them, but who could he trust? The giggling young couple strolling arm in arm? The small, elderly lady throwing bread crumbs to pigeons? The humming girl with the Wings of Freedom on her back? The guy standing- Wait, <em>what?<em> The_ Wings of Freedom?_ Why was the insignia of the Survey Corps here, of all places?

Armin watched the girl enter a shop on the other side of the road and broke into a sprint. Maybe they were in a similar situation and could devise a plan together. A stretch maybe, but still something.  
>One of those strange, wheeled contraptions whizzed past, cutting him off, and Armin realized he had no idea how to get across safely. He focused on his surroundings, hoping to find an answer in the people.<br>To his right, a man made a break for it at a random point of the road, but the beeping sound that erupted from an approaching vehicle and the disapproving glares of the onlookers told Armin that strategy wasn't appropriate. The man staggered down the street and took a swig from his bottle. A drunkard, not exactly the best example.

Armin diverted his attention to his left, where there were some strange markings on the concrete. A line of white stripes. Could that hold any significance? People gathered around it on both sides. Waiting? Armin stepped forward and stood behind them. There were posts framing the stripes, some with lights. He noticed some people staring and followed their gaze to a panel that depicted what seemed to be a walking man, glowing red. Whether or not all of these signs related to his goals, he did not know, but he was eager to find out.  
>His suspicions were confirmed when the walking man turned green and the others began to cross. After a brief moment of hesitation, Armin rushed after them. A smile found its way to his lips once he reached the other side and peered over his shoulder. He'd have to remember that.<p>

Still, back to the matter at hand. He stopped at the doors of the shop the girl had entered and peered through the glass. It was filled with bright but cold light that spilled out onto the streets and seemed to emanate from glowing rods stuck to the ceiling. His interest in the logic behind it was completely overshadowed by the large number of shelves cramped into the small room, all stocked with countless items of all different shapes, sizes and _colours_. Armin had never seen such a large variety of bright shades; like something from a lord's residency in Wall Sina, but even better!

His target was at the counter, handing money over to a tired looking shopkeeper. After depositing her shopping into a bag, the girl started towards the door and Armin stepped aside as she pushed it open. There must have been a bell above it, because gentle chimes rang through the air when it slammed shut behind her.

She began to walk away without a single glance in his direction and Armin realized he would have to be quick.

"Excuse me," he called out, and the girl looked over her shoulder questioningly. Her bag was made of thin, transparent plastic and carried a carton, covered in pictures of what seemed to be cows, drawn with a debatable level of skill. There was writing on it, but Armin couldn't make out the words through the plastic.

"Um…" the girl said and Armin realized that he had just been staring at her milk in silence for over ten seconds.

"Sorry!" he said quickly, and was met with an awkward laugh from the girl. Armin paused, considering his words carefully. She didn't seem to be showing any signs of aggression yet, but it was impossible to know with these people. "I noticed the Wings of Freedom on your back… Are you in the Survey Corps?"

The girl's face stretched into a wide grin and Armin took a step back, unsure whether or not that was a positive development.

"Ooh, you an Attack on Titan fan too?" Armin stared in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? Was she asking if he's a fan of attacking titans? A soldier?

"Um… yes?" Armin replied tentatively and the girl's eyes practically sparkled.

"Awesome! I mean, I've never really met any other fans in this area before so… yeah! 'S cool!" None of that made any kind of sense to Armin and it must have shown, because the girl frowned. "You looking at me funny? Oh, wait, am I talking too much?" She laughed again, this time genuine. "Sorry, sorry, I get told that a lot! Anyway, you were wondering about my sweater? Because yup, that is indeed the Survey Corps sign. I just bought it online, if you were wondering where I got it. I think you can find them on Amazon still…" she paused for a breath, a chance that Armin wasted no time in seizing.

"Sorry, but I don't really understand what you mean." That was possibly the understatement of a lifetime, but it was a start.

"Am I talking too fast?"

"No, I heard all right. I think. But…" _Where to start?_

"But what?" The girl tilted her head to the side.

"Are you in the Survey Corps?" Armin asked bluntly and the girl raised an eyebrow.

"Er, what do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean?"

"What do you mean, what do you what do I… uh…"

Armin sighed. "Listen, I'm kind of lost. Could you tell me where this is, maybe?"

The girl looked wary, but nodded. "Uh, sure. This street is… I think there's a sign over there."

"No, I mean the city itself. And possibly country."

The girl stared. "How'd you manage to get _that_ lost?"

"I'm not sure how to explain."

"Well, this is Alvesdon, England."

"England?" Now it was Armin's turn to stare. "But there is no England, at least I thought…"

"Er, right… well, I gotta go, so…"

"Wait!" Armin called, but the girl was already jogging away. He considered following, but something told him that would get him nowhere and so he was left standing there, even more confused than before. _Now what…?_

Armin spotted an unoccupied bench by the road and sat down for a rest. Hunger had been growing steadily in his stomach since he awoke, and it was now becoming impossible to suppress. A gust of wind surged through the streets, sending litter skittering across the pavement and a chill through Armin's bones.

So many people around him, and yet Armin had never felt more alone.

* * *

><p>Mikasa lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, still but very awake. It was far into the night now and all was silent apart from the steady breathing of the sleeping.<p>

And still, Eren had not returned.

Careful not to provoke a creak from the bed's wooden frame, Mikasa sat up and swung her legs over the side, where they dangled above empty space. The bottom bunk would have been more convenient in this situation, but she would manage. Mikasa pushed herself forward and slowly climbed down to the floor, touching down with little noise. She froze for a few seconds, listening carefully until she was satisfied. Nobody seemed to have been stirred from their slumber, and if they had then they said nothing as she put on her shoes and cardigan and slipped out into the night, after making sure that no instructors were patrolling nearby.

There was an icy edge to the air, and Mikasa wondered if she should have brought a cloak as she crept across the grounds. The standard issue cloaks were stored in chests though, and she wasn't prepared to risk the amount of sound opening one would entail.  
>Mikasa picked up a lantern from one of the storage sheds on her way, thankfully not locked. Nobody should notice, as long as she returned it by morning.<br>Eren hadn't been specific about his destination, but Mikasa guessed it was the same forest trail as usual. He and Armin had been quite fond of it since their little trek with Reiner and Bertolt nearly three years ago, and she had accompanied them a few times since.

If Eren wasn't in trouble already, he would be when Mikasa got her hands on him. But what really worried her was that Armin hadn't returned either. The kid had always been sensible, trying his best to avoid trouble when possible.

It wasn't until a while later that she heard a familiar voice.  
>"<em>Dammit<em>!" Mikasa recognized it as Eren instantly, and it sounded close. So he was safe. _Thank goodness._

Mikasa picked up her pace until she spotted him ahead, facing away and apparently oblivious to her presence. She always had been light on her feet. Mikasa's relief wavered as she strode forward and realized Armin was nowhere to be seen. Eren looked different somehow, too… What was he _wearing?_

Mikasa placed her hand on his shoulder and he tensed with a startled gasp.

"Eren." She frowned as the boy turned, his expression angry.

"What? Who are you?" he demanded.

Mikasa's hand fell limp and she took a step back, eyebrows drawn together. "Eren, it's me. Mikasa."

"I think you got the wrong guy," Erin said. "And don't sneak up on people like that!"

Mikasa paused. "You look just like him."

"Well I'm not, okay?" Erin snapped. "Where is this place?"

"Who are you?"

"I asked you first."

Mikasa's eyes hardened. "The only people who should be here are those affiliated with the military training camp."

"Look, I'm just lost, okay? I don't know about your camp or anything. Just tell me where this is so I can get out of here."

Mikasa considered this for a few heartbeats before replying. "As I said, this track leads to the military training camp. The closest city is Trost, which is to the South-East of here."

Erin sighed audibly. "Okay, but I want to know how to get to Alvesdon."

"I don't know of a place with that name," Mikasa said.

"This _is_ England, right?" Erin asked, to which Mikasa's frown deepened.

"There is no England. This is Wall Rose." She was beginning to question the mental stability of the boy before her.

"What do you mean there's no England? I thought _this_ was England. That's where I'm _from_."

Mikasa shook her head and Erin stared as she continued, "That can't be true. There hasn't been a place called England for over a hundred years."

* * *

><p>A girl with white hair sat cross-legged in front of the television, watching as a picture of a brown haired boy flashed on the screen.<p>

_"This morning, 15 year old Erin Hunt was found safe after being reported missing the night before. According to-_" the newsreader's dull voice was drowned out by a call from the kitchen.

"Hey, Ash, want a snack?"

"No," Ash replied and a few seconds later her friend appeared at the door, holding a large bowl in her arms and stuffing popcorn into her mouth.

_"His friend who disappeared at the same time has not yet been found, and Erin Hunt has so far been uncooperative in-_"

"Hey!" Her friend pointed at the screen as another photo appeared by Erin's face, this time of a blond boy. "I saw a girl who looked just like that this morning," she said through a mouthful of food.

Ash stared as she plopped onto the sofa and lounged back. "Are you sure it wasn't that boy, Kat?"

Kat stopped chewing and looked at the floor with furrowed brows. _Come to think of it… maybe..._ "No, that was_ definitely_ not the voice of a boy," she dismissed with a shrug and resumed her munching.

"Whatever you say," Ash replied and Kat raised an eyebrow. Why did everything that girl said sound sarcastic on some way or another? _Oh well._

"She was a real weirdo though, seriously. Thought I'd never get away from her."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Okay, before I saw anything else I am so, so sorry about the late update. I'd like to say I have some kind of understandable reason behind it buuuut... I don't. Sorry! (On the bright side, I came up with a bunch of plot stuff during the wait!) I do, however, have an excuse for next time: I'm moving to Ireland in under two weeks and it might be over a month until I get internet over there (oh, the horror). I probably won't get any chapters up during that time, but I'll see if I can squeeze one or two in before then and I'll do my best to resume the story once I get internet connected, if I haven't already gone insane from boredom.

I'm sorry that this chapter didn't have much humour, I had to advance the plot a bit and try and pick up the pace. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!

Also, just so you know I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to the side of the story on the Attack on Titan universe; it's impossible to answer all of the questions Erin is going to have using only the details that have been given canonically, so I had to make up a lot of it myself (where is the training camp?). I'll do my best to make it believable, but if you notice anything that's blatantly incorrect then please let me know so I can fix it! I haven't read the manga yet so there might be some things that I've missed.

(I hope Armin sounds as girly in the English dub as he does in Japanese or Kat's comment isn't going to make much sense to those who have only seen the former. I'm not hating on his voice though, I think it's perfect, but he _is _voiced by a woman.)

Also, I think it's time for another round of

**QNAABWIGAAB**

_(Questions nobody's actually asked but which I'm going to answer anyway because)_  
>I bet you can hardly contain your excitement!<p>

_Q1: Wait, this is set in England?_

A1: Yup. Okay, so I know it would make more sense to set it in Germany but I thought it was best to set it somewhere I'm familiar with.

_Q2: If that's so, then why do you use American words like flashlight?_

A2: I don't think everyone is familiar with the term 'torch' when it comes to that item, whereas everyone knows what a flashlight is so I thought it would be better to use that one. I also personally prefer it.

_Q3: Ash has white hair? My Mary-Sue alarm is going off!_

A3: Ash has white hair because she has albinism. As for Mary-Sues, well I'm doing my best to avoid them so please let me know if they come off as Sue-ish to you.

_Q4: Is Alvesdon a real city?_

A4: Nope. I'm not comfortable with using real cities so I made one up. If there is an actual place called Alvesdon that I don't know of, then this one's different and the shared name is pure coincidence.

**Fun Fact Time:** For some reason, this chapter took a lot more time to write than the others even though it's a bit shorter... Yay, fun!


	5. Chapter 5 - The Catching of the Eye

"What do you mean?" Erin asked. "Of course there's an England."

"No."

Erin's mouth twitched into some kind of smile and he began to laugh nervously, but it died away when the ice in Mikasa's eyes didn't falter. "Don't be stupid…" His eyes wandered to the ground under creased brows.

"I don't know what your situation is," Mikasa said finally and Erin looked up, "but I'm looking for someone. Two people. Have you seen anyone around here?"

Erin shook his head. "No, I haven't…"

"It's strange… he looks just like you."

"Who does?"

"The person I'm looking for."

"I thought there were two of them…"

"There are," Mikasa said, a slight defensive edge to her voice, "and I'm going to go find them." She began to walk past Erin until he called out.

"Wait!"

"What?" Mikasa asked without looking back.

Erin hesitated. "Maybe we could help each other out."

Mikasa turned around, silently inviting him to continue.

"I found some weird lantern things before, maybe they're your friend's?"

"Where? Where were they?" Mikasa asked quickly.

"Up ahead, right near the place we came here at… It's kinda a long story, can we go get my friend first? He can explain... probably."

"Yes, but why were the lanterns there? Was there anything around them, like blood or… or…" Erin shook his head and Mikasa sighed softly, but the worry didn't fade from her eyes. "All right. You said something about a friend?"

"Yeah, I got a friend here too." There was a trace of venom in Erin's tone as he recalled their argument, which Mikasa either failed to notice or ignored. "Should be waiting where I left him."

"Very well. Let's go." Mikasa didn't look back, making it clear that it was Erin's job to keep up with her brisk pace. But as little as both parties trusted each other, it seemed they had formed a temporary alliance for the time being.

"So what's your name?" Erin asked, jogging alongside Mikasa.

"Mikasa," she replied.

"Weird name," he remarked and she flashed him a hostile look. "In a cool way, I mean!"

Her eyes returned to the path ahead and Erin knew she was awaiting his reply.

"My name's Er- _Titan_. My name is Titan."

Mikasa came to an abrupt halt and Erin followed suit.

"What?"

"I said, my name is Titan. _Ti-tan_."

"I know the word," Mikasa replied coldly. "Is that your real name?"

"Well, no. I don't see what the problem is, though…" Mikasa was already walking again and Erin stumbled to keep up.

"You really don't know?" she asked, her tone and expression completely unreadable.

"I don't get what you're on about," Erin said. "You got a bad experience with someone called that before or something? Didn't think loads of people would have this name... "

Mikasa didn't reply, sadly missing the perfect opportunity to shoot him a witty retort like, '_I'm having one now.'' _Cue studio audience laughter and a close up to Erin's severely burnt face.

"Oh, lookie, we're here," Erin announced after an uncomfortable silence, gesturing to the small tunnel opening. Mikasa had already knelt down before the lantern.

"Only one?" she asked.

"Oh, I uh… the other one's over there." Erin nodded his head to the side and left it at that.

"Erin, is that you?" a snivelling voice drifted from the other side of the tunnel.

"Yeah, there's a girl with me too," Erin called back. "Misaka or something."

"Mikasa," she corrected him. "Did your friend just call you Eren?"

"_Erin_. That's my 'real' name, I guess."

"I- I thought you were never going to come back!" Arnold whined.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be there in a sec." Erin watched Mikasa as she went to retrieve the second lantern and paused. "What's up?"

"What is this?" Mikasa asked, holding up a small item for him to see.

"Forgot about that," Erin muttered and took it from her hand. "Sorry, that's just my lighter."

"Your what?" Mikasa stared blankly.

"Um… my lighter. You know what that is, right?" He had been about to deposit it back in his pocket, but instead reached out and dropped it into Mikasa's ready palm.

"No." She examined it closely.

"_Erin_, are you still there?"

"Arnold, will you shut up for a minute!" The annoyance was obvious in his tone and Arnold didn't respond. "If you press that button, it's supposed to make fire but that one's-" Mikasa pressed the button and a small flame immediately sparked to life. "-fine now, apparently."

"Where did you get this?" Mikasa asked.

"Er… it was a gift," Erin said. "You… really never seen one?"

"No," Mikasa tossed the lighter back and Erin fumbled clumsily to catch it. "Something strange is going on here."

"Looks like it."

"Erin, are you okay out there?"

"We're coming, chill out!" Erin yelled. "Can we just go already, before he pisses himself or something?"

Mikasa stayed quiet and stared at the tunnel, which Erin shrugged off as a yes, dropping to his hands and knees. The shuffling sound from behind told him that the girl was following. The first thing Erin saw upon wriggling out onto the grass was Arnold's face, splotched and teary. Not a pretty sight.

"Arnold, you need to wipe your nose," Erin said.

Arnold sniffed loudly and backed away with a shaky nod, making room for Mikasa to emerge. She had somehow managed to crawl through without abandoning her lantern, unlike those previous. Now that it was bathed in light, the clearing seemed smaller somehow.

"Well, looks like we got some introducing to do," Erin said.

"Your name is Arnold, isn't it?" Mikasa looked to the boy and he nodded, though it was hard to tell with his arms blocking his face; wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Misaka?" he asked.

"Mikasa."

"Well, looks like we done the introducing."

Arnold lowered his hands and Mikasa's eyes widened a fraction.

"Armin?" she breathed.

"What?" Mikasa stepped forward, extending her arm, and Arnold began to back away. Mikasa withdrew her hand and for a moment all was silent, nobody quite sure how to react.

Mikasa was about speak, but then she spotted something and her mouth clamped shut again. Neither Arnold or Erin spoke as she crouched down in front of the green bundle and grasped at the fabric. A standard issue military cloak, abandoned to the side. The boys hadn't noticed it before, blending into the grass under the cover of darkness.

"Eren's cloak," Mikasa whispered, her eyes locked on the neat row of stitches along the hem. That was how she recognized it. It happened a few weeks ago, snagged on a jagged tree branch during training. She had repaired it herself...

"How d'you know?" Erin asked.

Mikasa stood up slowly and turned to face him, a dark glint in her eyes that made the boy take an instinctive step back.

"What did you do to Eren?" Mikasa's voice was calm, but sent chills down Erin's spine.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Erin's voice broke into a squeak mid-sentence as his back pressed against a tree and Mikasa closed in on him.

"You're lying." She raised the cloak, holding it firmly by the hood.

"Nothing! I never even saw the guy, I swear! Arnold, tell her!" Erin looked to his friend pleadingly, sending a silent call for help.

Now that he was in the spotlight, Arnold's eyes widened."I-It's true…" he stammered, nodding his head rapidly.

Mikasa took a small step back, but the menacing air still froze Erin in place.

Her gaze wandered to the pond, the centerpiece of the clearing. Mikasa didn't know what to think; none of it made any kind of sense. Just as her friends disappear, two oddballs that look just like them show up? Was there really any guarantee that they _weren't _her friends, gone mad somehow? '_My name is Titan.' _ The boy's ignorant words rang through her mind and Mikasa shook her head. There was no way.

"Explain yourselves," Mikasa said finally, moving to the head of the pond so that both boys were clear in her line of sight. Erin exhaled with relief; he'd been holding his breath without even realizing it.

"U-um…" Arnold said, pressured under both of their expectant stares. "Well, I don't know what happened exactly, we're just as confused as you are, honest, but… Erin and I, we both fell into that pond. Well, not that pond exactly, it was in a different clearing altogether. B-but it happened anyway, and somehow when we went to the surface, we found ourselves here instead of back home…"

"Arnold, you're supposed to be the one who's good at explaining!" Erin hissed and his friend winced.

"That's the truth?" Mikasa asked.

"It is," Arnold said. His words were feeble, but carried with them a sincere genuinity that softened Mikasa's gaze slightly.

"We'll see about that," Mikasa said. Erin fidgeted and she shot him a look. "Don't move." Her tone held an authority that even Erin didn't think to question, and the two boys nodded quickly. "Stand over there," Mikasa ordered, pointing to the far side of the clearing.

Erin gritted his teeth as he drifted to the spot. What was he doing, acting like some kind of servant? Throughout his life, it had always been he who was in charge and he made sure to keep it that way. And yet here he was, at the complete and utter mercy of a _girl_. How quickly the tables had turned… Had he fallen to Arnold's level already? Erin glanced to the boy beside him, cautious but surprisingly not too shaken up by Mikasa's attitude. Maybe he was already used to being pushed around? Which Erin was absolutely _not _guilty about. Not at all. Nope... He's actually not; that guy's a douche.

"How deep is that pond?" Mikasa's voice snapped Erin from his thoughts.

"Deep enough to form a tunnel between the two locations, I think. At least, that's the best I can come up with right now," Arnold said, though his theory was tentative at best. There was so many flaws in that explanation that he didn't even bother listing them out, but the alternative was far crazier.  
>"It doesn't look that deep."<br>"What was it you told me that one time, Arnold?" Erin asked, to which he responded with a blank stare.  
>"Could you be more specific?"<br>"You know, that one time with the thing."  
>Arnold kept on staring.<p>

"Wait, wait, I got it!" Erin clapped his hands together. "Don't judge a book by it's cover."

"I'm not sure that was worth all the build up," Arnold muttered.

Mikasa looked from the pond to the two boys. "Jump in."

"What?!" Erin crossed his arms firmly and shook his head. "Why don't _you _jump in?"

"I'm holding a lantern, and you're the suspicious ones," Mikasa said.

"Well maybe to us, you're the suspicious one!" Erin retorted.

"And maybe you're not in a position to refuse," Mikasa said.

Arnold tugged at Erin's sleeve. "Um, maybe we should listen to her…"

"I don't see any weapons," Erin mumbled, though at this stage he was already preparing to dive. Arnold almost smiled fondly at his friend's proud, angered expression, even though Erin had been reduced to almost as much a doormat as he in under five minutes. But then his face hit the cold water and the smile died on his lips. Arnold hardly had a chance to feel confused before he slammed into the hard earth at the bottom of the pond.

"What the…" Erin grimaced at the sight of his friend's rear-end sticking out of the pond, rigid from the shock. For a moment it stayed there, frozen in all of its glory, before toppling forward with a large splash that sprayed Erin with water; Mikasa stepped back just in time to avoid the worst of it.

"Maybe I shouldn't have pushed him." After a few seconds of silence, Erin stooped down and fished Armin's head out of the murk by his collar. The boy spat water and coughed fiercely as he flopped onto the grass for the second time that day. His eyes were dazed and his forehead red with blood. _Whoops_. Erin gritted his teeth and diverted his gaze from the wound to Mikasa's face. Her expression could have been described as many things that moment.

"You lied," she said.

"It was different before, I swear!" It sounded weak to Erin himself, and he felt panic rising. There were certain people whose bad side was not somewhere you wanted to find yourself, and one of them was standing right in front of him with a dark, accusing look in her eye that made Erin wish he'd just stayed at home to watch _Little Women_ and eat candy barswith his mother. Anything was better than this.

"I don't know what's going on here," Mikasa began.

"_Twinkle twinkly liddle staaaar,_" Arnold murmured, raising a weak hand to point at the sky with a half-conscious smile.

"but I'm going to take you back to camp. Someone else will know what to do with you," she finished.

"That doesn't sound good," Erin said.

"_Up above in space so high up in space…_"

"We'll see," Mikasa said.

"Look," Erin sighed and put on his most reasonable expression. "Why are you being so damn… Moody?"

"_Reaaally high up in space. So high up it 'splodes..."_

"How do I know you didn't harm Eren?" Mikasa held up the green cape.

"I don't even _know _that dude!"

"_Like a diamond in disguise..."_

"The evidence says otherwise." Mikasa's tone held a finality in it and Erin realised immediately that arguing was getting him nowhere. Hopefully whoever the girl took him to was more reasonable and, in his words, less 'PMS-ey'.

"Fine, I'll go with you, but I swear I didn't do it!" Erin knelt down and wrapped Arnold's arm around his shoulder, pulling him up. "Come on."

"If you didn't do it, then we'll find out," Mikasa said. Erin was clearly struggling to help his friend to his feet, but she didn't move to assist. From the second he opened his mouth, she had disliked the boy. To see someone spout such idiotic nonsense with the face of someone so wonderful made her want to cut something. As for the other... It was becoming more apparent to her that the only destination the future held for the two was an asylum.

Her grip tightened on the cape and she held it to her chest as Erin struggled to get Arnold through the tunnel with plenty of swearing. Eren was alive, even if the evidence suggested otherwise. And she was going to find him, no matter what.

"Sneaky little diamonds..." Arnold giggled quietly in the background.

* * *

><p>"Excuse me, but would you mind telling me what part of Wall Rose this city is in?" Armin asked an elderly couple strolling by, who just shot him a strange look and picked up their pace. He was becoming ever more certain that this wasn't Wall Rose at all. In fact, he came to that conclusion the minute he arrived but the whole thing was so bizarre that it was difficult to digest. A small part of him still hoped that this was just some weird subculture he hadn't heard about and that all the people he'd spoken to as of yet were insane, but even a three year old would have called bullshit on that so, as yet another local ignored his pleas Armin decided that it was time to accept that something was up, and that something was a very big problem.<p>

A day had passed since their arrival and after a cold night on a park bench, his hunger was now impossible to ignore. He'd do anything to get a bite to eat…

And it was with this mindset, that Armin found himself rummaging in a trashcan down a dark alley for leftovers. He had seen poor children doing the same back in Zhiganshina at times, their faces buried in people's waste baskets in search of the tiniest morsel. This time however, Armin didn't even find that; just a bunch of empty packets and various other unsavoury things that convinced him to give up quick.

Great, now he was hungry and homeless _and _smelled the part. Garbage diving definitely was not the most sensible option, but at this point Armin was so lost that even _his_ mind couldn't conjure a better plan.

After wandering the streets for a while, something caught Armin's eye. Well, pretty much everything had been catching his eye since he arrived but this thing in particular was exceptionally eye-catching in his current situation in that current place. Quite. Because that eye-catching thing was a small fountain, and while it didn't look to be a particularly well-maintained fountain, it was still spouting a considerable amount of water that, to someone whose hands emanated the stench of old toiletries and fish, was definitely quite eye-catching.

Armin was at the fountain in a flash, scrubbing at his hands feverously. Then, to make things even better, something glimmering at the bottom caught his eye. Fishing one of the shinies from the water, Armin found with delight that the eye-catching object was, in fact, a coin! And it was just sitting there, ready to take! The people of this place must have left it there for people in desperate situations like him, Armin deduced with a warm smile. Maybe they were more charitable than he thought.

And then someone slapped his hand and the coin slipped back into the water with a splash. Armin turned to see an angry wrinkled face glaring down at him.

"How dare you steal the coins!" the elderly woman snapped.

"I'm sorry, it just caught my eye!" Armin said.

She turned with a 'hmph' and left him standing in confusion. Apparently, the coins were not there for his taking after all. On the bright side, his hands were slightly less stinky so he had that going for him. There was another issue, though. More specifically, a bladder one. Armin didn't think the people of this place would act kindly to his pissing in their sacred fountain, so he resolved to find a more appropriate place next, an outhouse maybe. He felt a bit guilty, pushing aside Eren for all of these minor objectives, but chances were that they could be in that place for a while, so survival was important.

After much asking around and awkwardness in turn, Armin found himself directed to a local inn, or 'pub' as they called it, that had restrooms in the back. Using his expert genius skills, Armin managed to find his way to the bathroom and emerged feeling brand new, apart from the starvation and dirt and unwashed hair and fatigue and everything else.  
>On his way out, something caught his eye; a picture on some weird black box mounted on the wall. Armin was certainly not questioning the workings of such a strange contraption because on the screen, was Eren's face.<p>

* * *

><p>"I told you, you have the wrong guy!" Eren shouted, his handcuffs rattling.<br>"Can it," one of the two officers dealing with him said sternly, exchanging a glance with his partner, a bulky woman with an intimidating aura.  
>They had been forced to cuff him after he put up a fight, which only resulted in him being "in trouble now."<p>

Eren had no clue what they were talking about, and the confusion seemed to be mutual. Obviously, this wasn't a particularly common situation; a missing kid recovered, only to adamantly deny his identity… they could only assume it was lies, a dare or something. That, or something much more serious.

"Kids these days…" the male cop muttered to himself, sinking into his chair.

Eren gritted his teeth. "Look, I-"

There was a knock on the office door to which the man replied,  
>"Come in."<p>

The door swung open to reveal the female officer on reception duty, much younger and prettier than the one towering over Eren but no less strict.

"Mrs Hunt has arrived, sir," she said.

"Right. She'll have to come here, we have some problems."

"I'll bring here here right away."

The door closed again and Eren resumed his argument.

"Look, I have no idea who this Hunt woman is, but she's not my mom! My mom's… my mom is…"

Another knock on the door.

"You don't need to knock again," the officer replied gruffly.

Eren was about to repeat himself, get things straight with this stranger if not anyone else, but when the door opened the words died on his tongue because standing in the doorway, was his mother.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Hiiii! ... Okay, maybe that wasn't the best way to start this after all this time. I guess I owe you guys an apology, huh! Sorry, sorry, I know I said it was going to be around a month and here we are in May, but I just haven't had the time due to a number of different circumstances! And also due to those circumstances updating still isn't going to be very regular, but I can assure you that this story is not dead and neither am I. I'll get there eventually, and if you're still with me then thank you a lot!


	6. Chapter 6 - A Wild Mikasa Appeared!

"Mom!" Eren stood up abruptly so that his metal chair toppled back with a crash that resounded through the room. With his hands bound, he quickly lost his balance until the female officer seized his arm, holding him firmly in place; apparently under the impression that he was attempting escape. But escape didn't even cross Eren's mind, because his feet were rooted to the spot and his heart pumping with shock.

"So you've finally come to." The male officer leaned back in his seat, content that things were about to take a simpler turn.

"Erin, what… why… You're in handcuffs, you… I…" Mrs Hunt was apparently as lost for words as he, her expression constantly shifting between anger and relief. .

"You're alive," Eren sputtered. There was a moment of silence during which everyone stared, until finally Mrs hunt spoke.

"Well, of course I'm alive! I'm the one who should be saying that to you." She settled for relief, and after a swift step forward encased him in a warm hug. Eren had long since surpassed her height, but in his mother's arms he felt just as small as five years ago, when he watched a titan's teeth close around her broken body. And now, he was too bewildered to even cry.

* * *

><p>"Excuse me, where is that boy in the box? I need to know!" Armin asked excitedly, jabbing his finger in the direction of the screen to clarify.<p>

The bartender just shot him a strange look in reply, and when Armin followed his gaze back to the screen he saw that the picture had changed. The face displayed now was… _his_? When Armin turned back, the bartender was holding another unfamiliar object and tapping buttons with an almost bored expression on his face.

"You just wait there a second," the bartender droned and held up the object to his ear. "Hello? Yes, I think I've found one of the missing boys. The blond one with funny hair."

Armin listened with furrowed brows, trying to figure out what the man was trying to say until a muffled voice erupted from the object and Armin realised that it must be some kind of long-distance communication device! Considering what other wonders he had seen, the idea wasn't too far-fetched. Armin didn't have time to go into deep thought, however, because as the high-tech conversation continued, he made another realisation that he was being reported.  
><em>They're onto me!<br>_Armin whipped his head from side to side, making a quick analysis of his surroundings. The bartender was of an athletic build and could probably catch him easily under normal circumstances, but there was a tall counter between them, from which the only exit was a small gate that would prove a slight hindrance to open, granting Armin a definite advantage.

He deduced his strategy in a flash and bolted just as quickly, ignoring the bartender's calls and the stunned expressions of those around him. With the alarm raised, the people of this place would soon be on his heels… Armin pulled his hood over his face and held it in place as he ran. It wouldn't be of much help, but it was better than nothing. If his guess was correct, his hair was his main identifying feature so concealing that was a must.

A glance over his shoulder proved that he wasn't being followed, though he should probably have slowed to check because he promptly collided with a man in a coat and almost sent them both tumbling to the ground.

"Sorry!" Armin called and veered into a quiet alley. He slowed to a jog and then a walk before slumping down against a wall with ragged panting, too tired to care about the filthiness of his surroundings or notice the man huddled beside him.

"Well," the man said and Armin's head snapped to the side in alarm. The speaker was unkempt and dressed in shabby clothes, sitting cross-legged on a bundled up blanket.

"Um!" Armin began to stand up but the man grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back down onto a part of the blanket he had just smoothed out.

"Why don't you sit with me a while?" The man took his hand out of his pocket and picked up a large flask sitting beside him.

"I really can't, I-" Armin began but stopped when he registered the fact that this man was almost certainly homeless and possibly even in a similar situation; maybe it wouldn't do too much harm. What had he to lose, anyway? "Well, alright then," he said hesitantly.

"Good, good," the homeless man said and took a sip from his flask. He offered it to Armin after, who declined politely. "I'm Peter," the man said.

"My name is Armin."

"What an unusual name."

Armin bristled and prepared to make a quick escape.

"I didn't mean it like that." Peter chuckled, misinterpreting the boy's sudden tenseness. "It's a nice name."

"Oh… Thank you. Er, Peter is also a nice name."

"You're too kind." Peter took another sip and exhaled deeply. "Kinder than a lot of people 'round here."

"Yeah." Armin nodded and relaxed slightly.

"You had a rough time too, kid?"

"I suppose...but I'm a lot more interested to hear about your story!" Armin urged with a forced smile, eager for the focus to shift away from him.

Peter laughed again and straightened up. He began to clear his throat, but it quickly escalated into a real bout of coughs and Armin patted his back awkwardly. "Sorry," the man croaked and Armin just gave him a shaky smile.

"Right," Peter announced with a sudden loudness that made Armin start. "My story, let's see… It all started on a warm Summer's evening, many years ago, when a hospital room far away was finally met with the cries of a newborn baby. That baby was me, except I'm sure my mother did not cradle me lovingly for my childhood was fraught with starvation and abuse!" Peter's theatrical voice grew more dramatic with each word, but Armin listened attentively with empathic eyes.

"I ran away when I was still a boy, unprepared for the harsh trials of life alone but too broken to handle anymore beatings. It wasn't easy, but I managed to climb my way into a position of stability, after much determination and hardship… only for it to all come crashing to naught!" His voice grew hysterical. "Now look at me! Sitting down some smelly dark alleyway with nothing but an old blanket and a some coffee that tastes like piss! I'm pathetic. I haven't eaten in days…" Peter was hunched over, sobbing uncontrollably now.

"Oh, you poor thing…" Armin whispered.

"So!" Peter said loudly and Armin started again. The man was staring at him expectantly, no trace of tears to be seen. "You got any money?"

"No, sorry."

"Ah, fuck it!" Peter stood up quickly and began collecting his meager belongings. "Waste of time, that was. Thanks for nothing, kid."

Armin watched the homeless man storm away with unintelligible mumbles, and then stared at the spot where he had sat moments before, pouring his heart out with such unbridled emotion that Armin had almost cried with him.

"Well then," Armin said finally, struggling to sort out his feelings about what had just happened. He bowed forward to sniff. "Come to think of it, this spot smells suspiciously like urine... Maybe I should leave."

And so he did just that, back to wandering around aimlessly, except this time in stealth mode. Armin peeked around the corner that lead to the crowded main street. Not an ideal setting for sneaking, but the alley was a dead end and staying there forever wasn't an option.

If the magic black box was to be believed, then chances were Eren was also a target. Possibly caught already. That would mean trouble, definite trouble.

_On the bright side, _Armin thought, _Mikasa's over there._

After a brief pause as he ran those words back though his mind, Armin gasped and did a double take.

"Mikasa's over there!"

* * *

><p>Shadis sat rigidly in his office chair, orange under the dim light of the single candle on his desk. If he had a clock, it would be ticking away loudly but instead there was only silence. He often skipped sleep to mentally go over the next day's training routine so that he was completely prepared next morning. Also so that he was alert to any trouble between the trainees. His eyes were sharp and his hearing even sharper, so the knock on his door that came a few moments later did not come as a surprise; he had been listening to their voices as they approached.<p>

Shadis cleared his throat to ready his usual yelling. "What do you want at this time of night, you pathetic worms!?" ._..__Nailed it._

The door opened and two boys were sent stumbling forward into his office, flailing inelegantly until one regained their balance and another slammed face-first into the wooden floorboards.

"Ow."

"What the hell, Mikasa! No need to push us," Erin snapped, stooping to help Arnold up.

"What is the meaning of this?" Shadis demanded to Mikasa, who closed the door behind her before replying.

"While searching for Eren and Armin, who disappeared hours ago on an evening walk, I discovered these two. They're suspicious, sir. Something isn't right here."

"And these two… aren't trainees Jaeger and Arlert?" If Shadis had eyebrows, one of them would be raised right now.

Mikasa nodded in confirmation. "It's hard to believe, sir, but they are not."

"Damn right," Erin chipped in, but went quiet after a tired look from Mikasa.

"And what, might I ask, lead you to this conclusion?" Shadis asked, looking the two boys up and down. One stared back with a scowl and crossed arms, and the other was rubbing his forehead nervously. Shadis's eyes flicked to the cloak and two lanterns in her arms.

Mikasa dumped her friend's belongings onto Shadis's desk, stepped forward and plucked Arnold's glasses from his face.

"I can't see! I can't see!"

"The Armin lookalike, Arnold as he claims, is wearing glasses and clearly needs them." She slid the glasses back into place and Arnold sighed with relief, blinking as his eyes adjusted. "Armin never had any sight problems. There's also the fact that they are wearing different outfits, show drastically different personalities" -she glanced at Erin- "and seem to know nothing of… well, anything. And while I found the lanterns and Eren's cloak at the scene, Armin's is nowhere to be seen."

"That is strange." Shadis eyed the two again, noting multiple minor cosmetic differences. One of the most perplexing ones was what appeared to be a small stud in one of the Eren look-alike's ears, something a person of his class would never have access to. Not to mention the strange design of the glasses and clothes in general. But it was too early to make rash assumptions. "But while it is strange, to have a pair who look exactly the same as Jaeger and Arlert apart from a few minor differences appear just as the aforementioned trainees go missing is ridiculous. It makes more sense to presume they've been somewhere they shouldn't and are now playing me for a fool, or have gone off their rockers."

"They are _not_ the friends I know!" Mikasa insisted, momentarily losing her calm politeness.

"I am in charge here, Ackerman! You'd do well to remember that when you speak!" Shadis shouted. Mikasa suppressed the urge to yell more and clenched her teeth, nodding bitterly. Erin smirked. Shadis thrust a finger to point at the lanterns. "And these prove nothing! You can't come up with wild theories when there is no evidence to support them!"

"Erin, hand me that lighter," Mikasa ordered. Erin's grin fell as he did so and she placed the object on Shadis's desk with urgent force. "They were in possession of this strange object when I found them. If you were to press that button, it creates a flame."

Shadis pressed the button sceptically and when a spark flickered to life his eyes widened, looking quite formidable framed by his sunken sockets.

"Maybe this is on a larger scale than I thought," Shadis muttered. He released the button and the flame died. "Ackerman, find another instructor and tell them to fetch some Military Police in my name. This is a potentially dangerous object that needs examination."

"Yes, sir," Mikasa said. She looked at Erin and Arnold, who peered back at her, before reluctantly closing the door behind her and disappearing into the night.

"You two," Shadis barked and the boys jumped.

"Yes!" they replied in surprised unison.

"Explain. Now. Everything."

_Some terribly unconvincing attempts at explanation later…_

"So," Shadis said. "What you're trying to tell me is that you fell into a magic pond from some strange version of one of the old countries that was wiped out centuries ago, that somehow led you to this place, which you think is another world?"

"Um, no, the other world thing was Arnold's idea and everyone knows Arnold has a wild imagination. _I _still say this is some undiscovered whacko colony."

"Erin, we've been over this…"

"Yeah, in between your trippy nursery rhymes! Somehow I don't think-"

"Quiet!" Shadis roared and the two shut up immediately. A few seconds of silence until, "You really expect me to believe that?"

"Not really," Arnold admitted. He was still dazed from all the bashing his poor face was receiving, but he had done his best to explain coherently. Though at this point, he was beginning to wonder if lying was the better option.

There was a knock on the door.

"What?" Shadis yelled, and Mikasa walked in.

"Instructor Adamson is on his way to contact the Military Police, sir," Mikasa said.

"Good. You don't move, I'm going to take these two to the containment cell until the Military Police get here."

"That doesn't sound good," Erin said.

"I wasn't aware we had a containment cell," Mikasa remarked.

"It doesn't get used much anymore," Shadis explained as he hauled Erin and Arnold out the door by the backs of their shirts.

"I see," Mikasa said quietly as the door closed and she was left alone with her thoughts. She turned and strolled towards the small window at the back of the office. Dawn was approaching, but for some reason she didn't feel tired at all. What a mess this all was… When she set out to search for them what felt like a lifetime ago, she would have laughed at the mere suggestion of any of this.

"And I never laugh," Mikasa said aloud.

She had expected to find them goofing off somewhere or at the very most lost in the woods, and then she would have scolded them and taken them home and everything would be okay. The world could collapse around them and it still would be, because nothing would separate them. That, she had made sure of.

Her hands tightened into fists. "And I'm going to continue to do so."

"I thought I told you not to move," Shadis said from behind her and she spun around. Mikasa's expression was calm as usual, but it was obvious she had been caught off guard. Shadis regarded her with silent amusement; this was the third time that day he had unintentionally snuck up on someone. "I should make you do laps for disobeying orders, but for now I want the full story. Tell me everything you can remember."

* * *

><p>"What do you think you were doing back there, Erin?" Mrs Hunt hissed as she walked hurriedly across the police station's driveway. "If you had gone much further, they might not have let me take you! They wanted to send you to a <em>psychiatrist<em>." She slowed down briefly so that her 'son' could catch up. "And will you please hurry up? I'm exhausted, I want to get home."

Eren nodded slowly and sped up, though he still lagged behind once Mrs Hunt resumed her brisk pace. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she first walked in, and she shifted awkwardly under his gaze.

"Are you...okay?" she asked slowly, coming to a halt. She turned around and placed her hands firmly on Eren's shoulders. "Listen, that was all some stupid joke, or… or a dare or something, right? If so then it was in very bad taste, but I'm worried about you. It's going too far. Please tell me you'll stop this… whatever this is, now?" Eren just stared and Mrs Hunt's voice grew desperate. "Erin! If you act that way next time, I don't know what's going to happen…" When he didn't reply, she shook her head and straightened, shot an uncertain look at him and then continued walking without another word.

After an hour of interrogation, it was decided that they weren't going to coax any information out of Eren anytime soon, and so he was finally sent home with plans of another interview once he had 'recovered', so that they could work towards finding the other missing boy.

Eren's eyes looked distant, but his brain was buzzing. Trying to process this, find some kind of sense in this situation. Was it really her? He had asked himself that question a hundred times. She had changed over the years; a grey streak now sliced through her black hair and her face had aged. Despite her pretty clothes, she looked run down. From worry? The unexplainable reappearance of his late mother wasn't the only thing bothering him, though. When questioning him on the other missing boy, they showed him pictures of Armin. Were they all tied into this, somehow? Not to mention all of bizarre technology surrounding him… There were so many things he wanted to ask, but every time he looked at her face the words died on his tongue.

Eren almost expected to wake up back in his lumpy training camp bed any second now.

When they reached his 'home', a two-story terraced house fifteen minute's walk from the station that was shadowed by a large tree, he was immediately shooed to his 'room' without any more questions, to sit on his bed and look around in bewilderment. When Mrs Hunt returned with plate of sandwiches and a glass of juice, she wore a troubled expression and quickly hurried back down.

Eren wasn't hungry, but he examined the sandwiches closely. Was this bread? It looked nothing like the rolls they ate back home. He quickly abandoned the plate onto the desk in the corner, but managed a few sips from the glass before putting that down too.

He could hear his mother's voice downstairs, though he didn't know who she was talking to. Even though her presence was still very much there, now that she was out of sight Eren's mind felt clearer.

He stood up and wandered around the small room. There were many personal effects scattered around that he had no memory of, and they were deeply unsettling. A small, framed picture on the desk caught his eye, next to another weird object, and he picked it up with wide eyes.

It was a picture of… him and Armin? His arm was drooping around the shoulders of his friend, whose mouth was stretched into an uneasy smile and whose eyes were wide and nervous behind his...glasses?

With that level of realism, it seems impossible that it could be a painting, but what else could it be? Eren had no memory of that day, or of the clothes he was wearing. Feeling sick, Eren put back the picture and diverted his focus to the object beside.

It was of a rectangular shape and had what appeared to be a glass screen, under which were buttons. Obviously another one of their weird devices. When Eren picked it up, the screen flashed on with a pale light and he almost dropped it in surprise, and almost did the same again a few seconds later when it erupted with a loud tune that seemed to pulse through Eren's brain. The screen had now changed, displaying the words '_Stevo calling_'. In a panic to get that hellish noise to stop, Eren hammered all the buttons without thinking. Apparently it worked, because the noise stopped and the screen went back to normal, though 'normal' wasn't a word Eren would use to describe anything about his situation right now. Thinking it was all over, he sighed with relief and then jumped when it rang again, though this time with a much shorter tone. Now, it said '_You've received a new voice mail.'_

Voice mail? Curious, he pressed another button (though this time with more thought) and after a few tries, managed to activate this 'voice mail'. A muffled sound came out of the phone and after a few seconds of blank staring, Eren held it to his ear.

"-Stevo. Heard you was found today, mate?"

Eren began to ask who was speaking, but the voice just continued in interruption,

"Listen dude, got to respect how hardcore you was going dere like, but I'm so sorry for darin' you to in the first place. Dat other kid been found yet? Gets on my nerves, but I never wanted anythin' to happen to him. Anyways, why you cut me off mate? Are you pissed off, like? 'Cause I-"

Eren slammed the phone onto the desk. He didn't want to hear anymore. He looked at the framed picture again and felt hot bile rising in his throat. At first, he thought this might be a dream, but now it was more like a nightmare. His mother, back from the dead? Impossible. That wasn't her, that was some other boy's mother… the voice, some other boy's friend... some other boy who looked just like him. A doppelganger.

"Armin has one too," Eren muttered to himself. He remembered that morning. "And Mikasa, too. That has to be it."

"Erin!" he heard _her_ call from downstairs, and whipped his head around in alarm. Footsteps creaking on the stairs outside.

"I have to get out of here," Eren whispered to himself, thinking quickly. His eyes landed on the large window over the bed and he was there in a flash, throwing it open in the face of the tree right outside. The footsteps were getting louder.

With no time for a detailed plan, Eren leapt out of the window and latched onto a thick tree branch, sending leaves cascading down into the garden below. The branch bent under his weight and creaked ominously in complaint, but it held as he made his way clumsily but quickly down the tree.

A scream from the room told him that Mrs Hunt had arrived. Eren was only halfway down the tree, there was no way he would make it in time, unless… Gritting his teeth and preparing himself for the impact, Eren let his fingers slip from his current hold and fell to the ground. He landed painfully on his backside, unsure if he had injured himself or not, but wasted no time in scrambling to his feet.

There were calls from behind as he ran, but he didn't look back. All he wanted to do was get as far away from that horrible place as possible. So he ran...and ran... and ran.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Hello, everyone!

Sorry for the kind of late update, I actually finished this a while ago but didn't really have an opportunity to edit it, so sorry about that. On the bright side, these breaks are giving me more time to plan the plot further and get details clearer in my mind. And I have a lot of plot for this, too... I hope I can fit it all in, haha!

Hm, I'm not sure I handled these events in the best way but damn is it hard to think how people would react to these situations… I'm not really sure what the correct procedure for these things is haha! Well, I tried so I hope all of this is somewhat believable...

Also, sorry for all the kind of cliff-hangery endings… I would have gone further this time but this chapter was already turning out to be a bit longer than usual and to continue these scenes I would have to go much further and then it would just get ridiculous. At least the plot is kind of advancing more quickly now, right? Things seemed to go very slowly at first so I wanted to get a bit of a move on and get to the fun parts to avoid boring you (and me)


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